Pterospermum diversifolium Blume, Bijdr. 88 1825. (syn; Dombeya diversifolia Spreng.; Pterospermadendron diversifolium Kuntze (Unresolved); Pterospermum glabrescens Wt. & Arn.);
India: Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala as per BSI Flora of India;
Tamil: Vattapolavu Malayalam: Pambaram, Malavuram
Habit- Trees up to 20 m tall. Trunk\bark- Bark brown, smooth; blaze red.
Branchlets- Branches horizontal; young branchlets terete, tawny tomentose and stellate hairy.
Leaves- Leaves simple, alternate, distichous; stipule lateral, caducous and leaving scar; petiole up to 1.5 cm long, tomentose, terete; lamina 11.5-18 (-25.5) x 8.5-13.5 (-17) cm, oblong to pandurate, much variable in sapling, apex acuminate, base cordate, truncate to asymmetric (peltate in young saplings), glabrous above, silvery pubescent beneath, drying brown above, coriaceous; 5-nerved at base; midrib canaliculate above; secondary nerves 5-9 pairs, impressed above, strong beneath; tertiary nerves obliquely percurrent.
Flowers- Flowers large, solitary or 2-3 together, axillary, white; bracteoles laciniate; pedicel 0.5 cm long.
Fruit& seed- Capsule, woody, 5-angled, to 7.6 x 3.8 cm, tomentose; seeds compressed, 8-11 in each cell, winged at one end.
Trees in disturbed evergreen to semi-evergreen forests up to 700 m.
Indomalaysia; in the Western Ghats- South, Central and south Maharashtra Sahyadris.
(Attributions- B. R. Ramesh, N. Ayyappan, Pierre Grard, Juliana Prosperi, S. Aravajy, Jean Pierre Pascal, The Biotik Team, French Institute of Pondicherry.
Megamalai :: Pterospermum for identification :: 271113MK003 : Attachments (6). 7 posts by 6 authors,
Please help me in identifying this Sterculiaceae tree found in semi-evergreen tracts.
Tree height: c. 15 m
Leaf: up to 20 cm long
Fruit: 15 x 1.5 cm
Place: Vellimalai RF, Theni, TN
Date: 04 Oct 2013
Alt.: 750 m asl
Good description of P acerifolium. Pterospermum species so far in efi Pterospermum acerifolium I have a slight doubt that it is P. acerifolium. I know this tree from cultivation only and the leaves are peltate, coarsely toothed, and many are larger than 20cms This should be P. diversifolium Bl., a wild plant. See the key to Pterospermum in Flora of India vol. 3: page 447. 1993. The main character shown in the first dichotomy is whether the capsules are angular or terete. Unfortunately the images do not show non-dehisced intact fruit. However, the picture indicates similarity to P. acerifolium (L.) Willd. I will go with … for Pterospermum diversifolium Blume as per keys at http://efloraindia.nic.in/efloraindia/taxonList.action?id=3390&type=3
155-TSP-ID-02FEB2018-2:A tree near Sakaleshpur for ID assistance : 14 posts by 4 authors. Attachments (4) Kindly examine and identify this Tree Habit: Tree Habitat: Wild,Evergreen forest Sighting: Near Sakaleshpur,Karnataka about 1000 msl Date: 27-10-2015 Looks interesting species of Pterospermum not available so far in efi site as per To me it looks like Pterospermum rubiginosum The picture already available with efi is not clear
Thanks, … … also identified it as Pterospermum diversifolium
Went through the description of both Pterospermum diversifolium and Pterospermum rubiginosum in the Digital Flora of Karnataka.Leaves elliptic-ob ovate, young parts minutely rusty, pubescent, as seen in the uploaded images is indicative of Pterospermum diversifolium. References: The Plant List Ver.1.1 (Unresolved) Biotik India Biodiversity Portal Pilikula Top Tropicals |